My Final Fantasy: Full Circle and Full Stop
by Rayna Lissesul
Summary: When the fayth brought Rayne back to life for one final mission, they failed to specify what they needed her to do. Now, with no other choice, she wanders Spira, memories from Zanarkand arising along the way. And all she wants is to be with Auron again.
1. Dead to the World

Greetings, all! Well, here it is. The third and final installment of Rayne's journey through Spira. It's been so long since it began... (stares off into space, reminiscing) (snaps back to reality) Sorry about that. Nostalgia. Anyway, without further ado... the disclaimer!

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(BTW: Hey, Mata! Thanks for the ideas for the title! n.n)

(Dead to the World)

Shortly after falling to the plateau within the Farplane, Rayne passed out from the growing pain in her back and abdomen, the latter of which had once again swelled dramatically with what she could only assume to be pregnancy; a conclusion she came to when she realized she was no longer holding Michael and that she hadn't seen him stay behind with Auron when she had begun to fall.

When she had woken again, Rayne pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out of the Farplane and into Guadosalam, barely registering that, other than a few small woodland creatures, she was the only being in the city.

'After all, I did tell the Guado to leave, didn't I?' She thought blearily as she made her way to the Thunder Plains.

She wasn't sure where she was traveling, but she wanted to get as far away from civilization as possible.

'People may come to Guadosalam soon… But they'll be avoiding Bevelle after what happened.' She thought as she hobbled from lightning tower to lightning tower across the plains, 'Maybe I can make it to the Calm Lands…'

Her dazed and confused state muddled her mind, contorting her senses of judgment and time. In what seemed to her to be mere minutes, she had reached the halfway marker of the Thunder Plains; Rin's Agency.

She bypassed it, though, wanting to avoid anyone she knew.

'Because anyone I know will think me dead at this point…'

She was unsure of how long it had been since the group had defeated Sin, but she knew that word would travel fast enough that the former guardians of High Summoner Braska had perished in the fight, and that the new blitzer boy was also missing.

'After all, Spira is a small community; news travels fast.'

Within more 'moments', as they registered in her fevered mind, Rayne arrived in Macalania.

She took a sharp right at the first fork and bypassed Bevelle, intent on making it to the Calm Lands.

She didn't make it forty feet passed the entrance to Bevelle when the first pain started.

"Oh, Gaea." Rayne muttered, grabbing her stomach.

She had been told in one of her sex-ed classes that the cramps that came with a woman's period were supposed to be the body's way of preparing the woman for childbirth. This pain, though, was ten, if not twenty, times worse than any cramp she had ever experienced.

Groaning, Rayne doubled around and headed back to the entrance road to Bevelle. She easily walked passed the guard, who was so confused by Yevon's loss of power that he just stared at her as she walked by.

The Highbridge seemed ten times longer than it really was, and when she finally stood before the first entrance door, who else to stand in her way but someone she knew.

"Maroda." Rayne gasped, grabbing onto him for support as another contraction hit her. "Medic!"

"L-lady Rayne?!" Maroda gasped, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed in Bevelle, by the orders of Isaaru."

"You have two choices." Rayne growled, grabbing his collar and pulling his face close to hers, "Either get me inside of that damned city and to a medic or I'll have this baby all over your front porch. What's it gonna be?"

Maroda paled, then grabbed her arm and led her through the first door.

When the next contraction was accompanied by her water breaking, Rayne screamed in pain and shock.

Panicking, Maroda picked her up and rushed her through the halls of Bevelle, shouting desperately for help. His cries aroused the attention of many a healer, and when Fereria, friend of Auron and acquaintance of Rayne, heard the guardian was in Bevelle, she came as quickly as she could.

She ran into the room just as Rayne was beginning to deliver and flew to the guardian's side, holding her hand and calmly commanding, "Deep, steady breaths now, Rayne."

"Fe… fe… fer… er… ia!" Rayne sputtered, breathing in and out in sharp huffs and clenching her eyes shut in pain, unable to hold back a scream.

"Yes, Rayne, I'm here." Fereria nodded, "Now calm your breathing!"

Seven long hours later, Michael was born for a second time, though the new journey was far more perilous to his health, and he was not warmly received.

"What do you wish to name him, Lady Guardian?" One of the medics asked.

"His name is Michael," Rayne spat, "And I'll ask that you don't refer to me as such." She refused to look at her son as the offended medic placed him in her arms.

Fereria took the baby away immediately, handing him off to another medic and ordering that a bed be made for him in an adjacent room. When Michael was gone, the stern woman ordered that the medics go to her office and wait for her, and to speak of no one of what had happened.

When she and Rayne were alone, Fereria turned to her and sat at her bedside, "What is it you wish to do, Lady Rayne?"

"I am no longer 'Lady' anything." Rayne muttered, "Just 'Rayne' will do, and as for Michael…" She though of her newborn son, who already resembled his father so much; his black hair already showing against his soft scalp, his wide brown eyes (which, despite the medical impossibility, had already opened), and his father's strong facial structure. …Rayne knew she would never be able to look at him, "Fereria… will you care for him for me?"

"You are unwilling?" Fereria blinked, shocked.

"Unable." Rayne corrected, lowering her eyes, "…Fereria, I can't even look at him…"

"I see…" The woman frowned, then nodded and stood, "Fine. At the very least, stay here and breastfeed him until we find an available wet-nurse."

"Alright." Rayne muttered, keeping her eyes lowered.

For four days, Michael was brought to her every two hours for a regular feeding before being whisked away again, taken to his own room which had been moved farther from hers.

After the first four days, a wet-nurse was found and Fereria came to tell Rayne the news.

Rayne was out of her bed in moments, dressing and heading for the gates of Bevelle. Fereria followed her silently, Michael in her arms.

"Rayne, if you're going to cast aside your old identity and title, you need to stop dressing as a guardian." The woman advised. When Rayne stopped and looked down at the same style of blue skirt, shirt, and long jacket she had been wearing for ten years, Fereria nodded, "I have something in my room that will work to your purposes."

Reluctantly, Rayne followed Fereria back down the hall and to the western side of Bevelle, where the woman's apartments were. There, Fereria set Michael down on her bed and flipped through the clothes in her closet, letting out a victorious "Aha!" after several moments of searching.

"Found it." Fereria emerged from her closet, throwing a garment down onto the bed, "I knew I had one somewhere."

Rayne looked down at the clothes, smirking, "The typical garments of a Black Mage; how original of you, Fereria."

"Go try it on." Fereria encouraged.

Taking the hanger of clothes, Rayne walked into the bathroom and dressed, coming out a short time later.

She was now, for the first time in almost eleven years, wearing pants; poufy light green pants that belled out dramatically at her knees before they disappeared, tucked into the calve-high brown boots she was wearing. Her new top was a dark green tunic with a brown belt over it, cinched at the waist. Over it all she wore a high-necked jade-colored cloak, clasped at her neck by a steel chain, and on her head was an almost obscenely large, pointed hat, the brim of which was low enough to almost touch the wide, high neck of her cloak.

"If I don't look like the archetypal Black Mage," Rayne began, looking down at herself in humor, "Then I have no clue what a Black Mage is."

"One last thing," Fereria said, nodding to back of Rayne's head, "Your hair."

Rayne blinked, one hand flying up to touch her hair, still braided and decorated with Al Bhed beads from when Rikku had done her hair on the Thunder Plains so many months ago.

"We'll have to shorten it." Fereria said decisively, walking over to her bureau and pulling out a pair of scissors, "May I?"

After hesitating a moment, Rayne slowly turned around and let Fereria hack off her hair, turning back when the deed was done and taking the remains of the braid solemnly in her hands.

"It took me ten years to groom that mess to something that was the semblance of perfection." Rayne muttered dejectedly, running a hand through her now shoulder-length hair.

"Well, now you have something to do for the next ten years." When a bitter scowl settled on the mage's face, Fereria carefully asked, "Rayne… just what happened?"

Scoffing, Rayne growled, "I was just about to enjoy a rest one thousand and ten years overdue when the fayth decided they wanted me to complete one more task for them. To make matters worse, I don't even know what they want." Sighing, she began to pick the beads out of the remains of the braid, stuffing them into one of her pockets.

The room was silent until she had completed the process, at which point Fereria took the braided hair from Rayne's hands and threw it into a wastebasket by the door.

"I'll be going, then," Rayne muttered, glancing at the sleeping bundle on the bed, "…I'll repay you for all of this someday."

"Live and enjoy the life you have been granted twice, now," Fereria said seriously, nodding, "And do not abandon your child. That would be enough thanks."

Rayne stared at her son a moment longer, then turned and walked away. She couldn't do it; she still couldn't look at her child. "I'm sorry, Michael."

The sound of the clacking of her boots was quickly accompanied by another pair of clacking as Fereria rushed to catch up with her, presumably carrying Michael.

At the Highbridge, Rayne paused and turned back, looking at the bundle in Fereria's arms.

'… If I don't do it, I'll always regret it.' She thought as she stepped towards the bundle, holding out a hand. She hesitated, then pulled back the soft white blanket her child lay wrapped in.

As soon as the sun beat down on the baby's face, he stirred and opened his eyes, brown meeting blue as he looked up to his mother.

Michael stared at her for a moment, then smiled and held out his arms, giggling, wordlessly asking her to pick him up.

Rayne reached out to comply, then stopped. Sighing, she drew back and muttered, "Take care of him, Fereria."

Not waiting for any form of protest, Rayne turned and walked down the Highbridge, exiting Bevelle and leaving behind the only tangible reminder of Auron and her life with him.

Back in Bevelle, Michael lowered his arms as his mother walked away from him. He didn't cry; he didn't fuss; he didn't reach out for her again. He simply watched, as if accepting.

"Lady Fereria," One of the medics who had overseen Michael's birth began quietly, walking up behind the woman, "Shall we send word to Lady Yuna that one of her lost guardians roams Spira once more?"

Fereria thought about it for a moment, staring down at Michael, who was silently still staring at where his mother had last been. 'If a mere babe can accept it, then…' "No. Tell no one that she came here and tell all who saw her to keep silent. If it is her wish, Lady Rayne shall remain dead to the world."

* * *

In the end, Rayne ended up in standing on the cliff that stood between the entrance to the Calm Lands and the plateau to the Remiem Temple.

'No one will be going to Remiem,' She thought, taking in the gap, 'Hell, hardly anyone other than diehard Yevonites will even be going to the temples, and who knows how long that'll last.'

On the whole of the Calm Lands, she figured her best chance at finding peace and privacy would be in Remiem Temple, which probably hadn't been visited since the group had left after sending Belgemine.

Yes, she figured, it was the perfect place to lay low and rest.

There was one problem, though…

"How in the hell am I going to get across this trench?"

"KWEH!"

One minute, Rayne was staring at the gap in the mountain that led to Remiem. When she heard the call, she had begun to turn slowly to face it. The next minute, though, she was staring up, sprawled on her back, right into a pair of large blue eyes that were beginning to water, tears leaking down a feather-covered face.

"KWEH KWEH!" The chocobo cried, lowering his head and nuzzling Rayne's chest.

"Boky?!" Rayne laughed, reaching up and embracing the bird's head. "Hey, boy!"

The chocobo kept her pinned to the ground, continuously either nuzzling her face or nipping at her cheeks and 'kweh'ing repeatedly.

After several minutes, Rayne pushed the bird off and stood, brushing off her backside before rolling her head, her neck cracking unpleasantly.

"Well," She turned to the waiting chocobo, smiling, "Whaddya say you help me out, eh? For old time's sake?"

Boky threw his head, then dropped to one knee and waited for Rayne to climb onto his back. When she was on, he leapt to his feet and lunged forward, easily making the gap to the Remiem side of the crag.

Instead of stopping where chocobos usually did, though, at the entrance to the valley, Boky walked straight through the trench, holding his head high and confident and staring around with unconcealed curiosity.

Rayne was only left to assume that this was because Belgemine, an old and powerful unsent who had resided within Remiem for years, was no longer there. With her powerful aura gone, perhaps the creatures felt freer to move in and out of the valley.

When the human and the chocobo emerged from the darkness and into the sun, Remiem Temple looked exactly as it had when Rayne and the group had left it; large, haunted, beautiful, and, more importantly, abandoned.

At the bridge, Rayne dismounted and walked across, Boky following close behind. A glance told her that the chocobo who had once stood at the entrance to the racing maze was gone. Yet another glance told her that the many boxes below lay untouched.

'I'll head down there later for supplies…'

At the entrance to the temple, she stood and stared up at the three symbols. The great door had once been opened by some force; was it machina, the will of Belgemine, or the will of the fayth? If it was either of the last two, she was screwed.

Just as she thought this, though, the symbols glowed and the door opened, a cool burst of air welcoming her inside.

She stood still for a moment, then turned to the chocobo, "Boky, you never settled with a heard, did you? Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for you to come with me, and you wouldn't have been alone when you found me."

The chocobo blinked and tilted his head, "Kweh?"

"Boky," Rayne sighed, "Would you like to stay with me and keep me company?"

Boky stared at her, then squealed excitedly and bolted past her, diving into the darkness of the temple.

Rayne stared after him, then faced the bridge and walked forward, pausing at the base of the stairs and staring up at the sky.

'A thousand years… that's a long time to be waiting to die, even if I wasn't aware of it because I was too busy dreaming. …I came back because you brought me here to go on Braska's and Yuna's journeys, Bahamut, and towards the end I was looking forward to sleeping just like the rest of you.

'Now what? You've brought me back for yet another task, but you didn't even tell me what. Sin is gone. The Calm shall reign forever. Spira is free. What more do I need to do? …Will I ever see Auron again?'

She lowered her face, ashamed.

'I even abandoned my child because of this, Bahamut. Tell me, what do you want from me?'

As one would expect, she received no answer.

After standing outside, waiting, for nearly to hours, Rayne turned and walked into the temple.

It was little, what she had; the clothes on her back, her previous skills as a Black Mage, the alliance of a chocobo, and an abandoned temple, bare of anything except a dead fayth stone.

It was little, compared to what she had once had.

Still… it was something. It was enough for her to do what she needed to do; find out what Bahamut wanted from her and complete it as quickly as possible so that she and her son could cross over to her love once more, where they would rest together until they knew no more.

Until she was truly dead once again, Rayne would continue to pretend to be dead to the world.


	2. Meet and Hate the Syndicate

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

Oh, catharsis, my friend. Why is it I always seem to upset you in some way or another? n.n I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not a firm believer in happy endings, or beginnings at that. Too much happiness leads to bad writing; you have to have a good balance of the bad and the good. Besides, abandoning her child is one of Rayne's character flaws, an attempt to make her human. Do not worry, my friend! Thigns will turn out the way they should I promise! n.n

(Meet and Hate the Syndicate)

A year.

A full year Rayne waited at that temple, and nothing. Not a single sign from the fayth.

She had visited Bevelle on several occasions to check up in Michael, and wasn't too shocked to learn that he, like he had been in the womb, was subject to accelerated growth; at two months he looked six, and at eleven months he looked a five years and was speaking fluently in both Spiran and Al Bhed.

Repeated visits to the doctors had yielded no reason for this growth and no other information other than the fact that he was a healthy boy with the prime, fully functioning body of a five-year-old, despite the fact he was only eleven months.

Every time she went, she went under the guise of a Yevonite visiting for reason of a pilgrimage, and she never spoke to him.

Fereria was a constant source of information and encouragement, but, at that point, Rayne was too ashamed to even look her son in the eye, let alone confess that she was his mother.

She would never be able to make up for abandoning him like she did.

Fereria continuously insisted it was nothing more than postpartum depression and that Michael was mature beyond his years, mentally in this sense and not physically, and that he would probably gladly forgive her.

Still, Rayne saw the love Fereria felt for the boy and, though she, too, loved him, felt it was best that, for the time, she simply watch him grow from the sidelines.

That had been one month ago.

Now, it had been twelve months.

A full year since she had woken on the Farplane.

From passing, weary travelers she had sheltered, she learned about the surge of need from truth all over all of Spira, and the birth of New Yevon. She also deduced that she hadn't even been dead a week when Bahamut sent her back to the world of the living.

'Bastard.' Rayne thought as she worked over a small fire just outside of the temple, stirring furiously at a stew simmering in a pot over the flames, 'Can't even let me get at least a months rest before he calls on me! Hell, what does he care, anyway? _He's_ got an eternity of rest to look forward too… that brat—'

Upon hearing a barrage of footsteps hit the ancient bridge before her and echo nosily down into the abyss below, Rayne looked up from her dinner, blinking.

Walking towards her was a trio; a woman and two men. The woman was wearing a rather revealing pink dress and sported shortly cut blonde hair. The two men wore purple and blue garb decorated with white Yevon letters; one was tall and lanky with two pistols at his sides and the other was short and… rotund, with what appeared to be a giant shield strapped to his back.

As they approached, Rayne reached up and tugged her high collar so it concealed more of her face and pulled her hat down low before returning to stirring her stew, keeping her eyes on the three the whole time.

They came to a stop in front of her and stared, not saying a word.

After a moment, Rayne raised her head slightly and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Some of that soup." The woman said, her eyes on the pot.

Rayne quirked a brow, "I beg your pardon?"

"Are you daft?" The woman sneered, "I told you to serve me some of that soup!"

Rayne stared at the woman for a moment silently, then drew in a deep breath and stood, glaring and growling, "Young lady, I am far too old to be dealing with impertinent young brats such as yourself, but if it gets right down to it I still have enough skills to kick your scrawny pale ass harder than you can even imagine. Do not tempt me."

Incensed, the woman ignored the protests the two men directed at her and stalked forward, pulling a tessen out of her sleeve and raising it over her head.

When the fan swung down, Rayne easily dodged it by stepping to the side, resulting in the younger woman losing her balance and tripping over the small pot and fire that had stood between them.

Rayne doused the fire thoroughly before the young woman burned herself, but left the stew hot.

The woman screamed and rolled over, the hot soup leaving an angry red mark on the whole of the flesh she left bare of her dress.

"Boss!" The two men shouted in unison, running forward and kneeling beside her.

"St-stop that!" The woman screamed, flailing her arms when they tried to help her only to result in further injuring her irritated skin. "That hurts, your morons!"

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Rayne crossed her arms and took in the trio's disheveled state. The two men were cut and bleeding in several places, their Yevon-esk robes singed at the hems. The woman, herself, sported a nasty gash on her revealed right hip, making Rayne take a moment to wonder what had happened to them.

'Probably got their inexperienced asses kicked on the Calm Lands.' "Move." Rayne ordered, stepping forward and brushing past the two men. She then took the younger woman by the arm and pulled her to her feet, "Come with me; I'll take care of it." She glanced between the tall and short men, then asked, "Spare those sashes you have around your waists?"

After hesitating a moment, the men removed said sashes and handed them to Rayne. She took them, then took the woman by the arm and drug her into the temple, glancing over her shoulder once to make sure the men hadn't followed.

"Strip." Rayne said as the door shut behind them

"W-what?!" The woman screamed, scandalized.

Rayne rolled her eyes and growled, "Girl, not only have you nothing I haven't seen, you can hardly be so insulted when you already insult yourself by leaving so little to the imagination. Now, strip so I can get a better look at that wound, unless you want me to call your friends in here to restrain you."

The woman was out of her dress in a moment, crossing her arms over her chest sulkily and pouting.

"Your fault for not wearing a bra, now lower your arms." Rayne snapped, taking a moment to assess the burn.

It started at the collar bone and ended just below the navel, shaped in the long, low V that her dress had revealed. Rayne could already tell it would blister severely if not taken care of.

"Let me see that fan." Rayne said after a moment, checking the edge of the weapon once she had it in her hands to make sure the metal blades were sharp enough. "I'll have to peel off that top layer of skin before we can do anything else, so I suggest you bite down on a corner of your dress so you don't hurt your jaws from clenching tightly when you try not to scream."

"I-I've changed my mind!" The woman said suddenly, jumping to her feet and reaching out for her dress, only to have Rayne bat her hand away.

"You barged into my home, insulted me, wasted my food, and now you're refusing my help?" Rayne growled, "Did your parents teach you no decency? How much trouble are you going to heap on me in one sitting?" She paused, then went on, "That needs to be taken care of before it blisters, because then it'll be an even bigger bitch to handle and you won't be able to do anything that involves moving the front of your body for several weeks. Just sit and we'll get this over with."

The woman hesitated, then sat, taking Rayne's advice and biting down on a wad of the sleeve on her dress.

Rayne raised the tessen and touched the length of one of the bladed edges against the already puffing skin just below the woman's throat.

"I'll be quick." She promised mere seconds before she drug the blade down, quickly removing the top several layers of skin and wincing slightly when the flesh squelched and blood serum splashed onto the floor.

The woman winced and whimpered, the muscles in her jaw straining visibly as she clenched her jaw and clamped her eyes shut against the pain.

Rayne then pulled out a Potion and dribbled it down the woman's front, smirking, "Maybe next time you'll think about leaving that much of your chest bare, eh?"

The woman just opened her watering eyes and glared in response.

When the Potion bottle was spent, Rayne sat back and sorted out the clothes from both the woman and the men, jerking the dress out of the young woman's mouth and tossing it aside.

"Use one of these sashes as a top and the other as a bottom." Rayne ordered, throwing the two pieces of material at the woman before standing and removing her own cloak, "Then wrap yourself up in this."

They walked outside a moment later, the woman wrapped tightly and sulking and Rayne carrying the soiled light purple dress.

"Boss!" The fat man gasped, taking a step forward.

"Leave me alone, idiot!" The woman snapped.

Rayne rolled her eyes, then sat in beside the remains of her fire and dinner and said, "Do you still want to eat?"

The three stared at her, then sat.

Rayne gathered the firewood in her arms, and then flicked her wrist, casting a small 'Water' spell and washed away the remains of the soup and ashes. A quick 'Fire' spell dried the area enough for her to set the wood down and reignite it with a second 'Fire'. She righted the pot, refilled it with a 'Water', then reached into a bag on the staircase behind her and pulled out meat, vegetables, and a few sparse seasonings she had found around Remiem.

While the food cooked, she stood and flung the dress over the nearby railing and hit it with a jet of 'Water', asking as she worked, "So, who're you three?"

"…Leblanc." The woman answered after a moment.

"Logos." The tall man answered.

"Ormi." The rotund man answered.

"There now," Rayne cooed, smirking, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Hold it!" Leblanc frowned, "You didn't tell us your name!"

"It's rude to ask for a host to reveal personal information." Rayne said as she sat back down by the fire, leaving the dress to dry.

"It's also rude to not give your guests a name by which they can thank their host." Logos retaliated.

"Oh, smart, aren't you?" Rayne laughed, "Well, at least I can muster a bit of courtesy and civility when someone does me a favor."

The trio said nothing.

When the soup was simmering and a fine, fragrant steam was rising from it, Rayne pulled out a spoon and took a taste, paused, then took a full spoonful and ate it before handing the spoon to Leblanc. "Dig in."

Leblanc wrinkled her nose, "You're joking."

Rayne quirked an unseen brow but mocked with hearable censure, "Well, if you wanted a bit of privacy about your food, you should have brought your own bowls and spoons. I, however, live on my own in an abandoned temple, and thus worry little about sharing with others."

After staring at the older woman for a moment, Leblanc reached out and took the spoon, wiping it thoroughly on the sash around her waist before taking a spoonful from the pot.

As supper progressed and the sun sank, Rayne saw less and less reason to wear her hat a removed it, hoping that the little sun that was left and the flickering firelight would not be enough for any of the three to recognize her by, if they even knew who 'Lady Rayne' was.

Unfortunately, she had no such luck.

"Lady Rayne…" Logos muttered, his thin eyes widening.

"Whudja say?" Ormi asked through a mouthful of stew.

Leblanc snarled, "Chew with your mouth shut!" But now she, too, was looking at Rayne with renewed interest.

Rayne just crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"You are the Lady Rayne, right?" Logos went on, "The same Lady Rayne who assisted the High Summoner Lady Yuna in vanquishing Sin a year ago, bringing about the Eternal Calm?"

"Is that what they've chosen to call this age?" Rayne muttered, not opening her eyes and chastising herself for taking her hat off. 'Of course one of the men would recognize me! They're former Yevonites!'

"Then you are her! People have thought you dead this whole time, but here you are!" Logos was absolutely enthralled and shocked at this point, his cool demeanor fading, "Why are you in hiding?"

"I'm not in hiding." Rayne snapped, glaring at him though a slit eye, "'Lady Rayne' is dead. I am Rayne, hermit of the Calm Lands and self-appointed Keeper of Remiem Temple. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Is that so?" Leblanc asked smoothly, leaning forward and smirking.

Rayne glared at her, "You know, I could have cut your breasts off."

The young woman, though, wasn't fazed, "Does your old summoning party know you're alive?"

"It matters not." Rayne muttered, closing her eyes again, "I am dead to the world."

"So they don't know." Leblanc was silent for a moment, then leaned back and said haughtily, "You know, the world's changed a lot since the last time you were seen. Things don't run the way they used to."

"I can imagine." Grumbling, Rayne was beginning to wonder if anyone would notice of Leblanc and her allies… disappeared.

"Take the old Sphere Grids, for example." Leblanc went on, ignoring Rayne's previous statement, "I bet you still think it's usable, right?"

"It is," Rayne frowned, opening her eyes, "Otherwise, how would I be able to use magic?"

"That's your default." Leblanc waved her off, "Everyone was born or trained with a default back when Sphere Grids were still used. These days, though, _everyone_ uses Garment Grids."

"Garment Grids?" Rayne muttered, frowning down at the tablet Leblanc handed her. It had the same look as the Sphere Grids, but was much… simpler. "Where are the nodes for ability spheres? And the mana, power, and speed spheres?"

"Those are obsolete." Leblanc waved a hand airily, "All you really need is a dressphere. Your stats improve automatically when you level up."

"Dressphere?" A hand reached out and pointed to a glowing node with a picture of a dice on it.

"This," Leblanc narrated, "Is a dressphere. There are many different kinds, and each accesses a different class. This one, in particular, is the 'Lady Luck' dressphere. It's the one I have on."

"And stats rise automatically now, you say? No more ability points?"

"Nope, no more of _that_ hassle." Leblanc said with an arrogant tone, "Just possessing a Garment Grid means that your stats will automatically raise when you level up, which is now based on the experience you earn in battle. Experience has taken the place of ability points."

"This…" Rayne began, her grip tightening on the stone tablet, "Means that any idiot with one of these 'Garment Grids' can fight in battle!"

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Leblanc asked airily.

"Hell no!" Rayne roared, shutting the younger woman up, "Did you not hear what I said?! _Any_ **idiot** with one of these grids can fight in battle! That means if a kid gets a hold of one of these, they automatically have a gun or a sword in their hands!"

Leblanc stared at her for a moment, then leaned back on her hands and said, "You might want to think about getting one. You won't win any more of those old spheres from fiends in battle; they've all been gathered and sold or lost and forgotten."

"Screw that." Rayne growled, tossing the grid back to Leblanc, "I'm happy as I am. And, besides, if this 'experience' has no choice but to manifest itself as ability points, then it will. And as for spheres, I've got plenty of them stocked away safely."

Leblanc straightened at this, her eyes shining, but she quickly relaxed again and said, "If you say so!" The shine in her eyes, though, didn't die.

Unfortunately for Rayne, she was too busy glaring at the fire to notice the devious looks Leblanc, Logos and Ormi exchanged.

'Spira's changed, alright. And it's gone straight to hell.' Snarling, she cracked her fingers and narrowed her eyes, 'Seriously! The Sphere Grid system has been around since Zanarkand, a thousand years ago! And now it only takes one year to completely dissolve the entirety of that complex system and replace it with… with dress up?!'

When the sun was completely set and the stars were out, Rayne stood and sighed, "If you decide to stay tonight, feel free to sleep in the temple, but be warned that there aren't any beds. If you leave, I advise that you tell no one of my existence or I will be forced to hunt you down and kill you." She glared at the three pointedly, "And I mean it. Don't think that just because I haven't left this valley much in the past year it automatically means I won't travel in public to find you, because I will if it's necessary."

"No need to worry," Leblanc said, removing Rayne's cloak and handing it back with a smile, "You're secret's safe with us."

Rayne narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the sudden sweetness that Leblanc's voice held, then brushed it off and walked back into the temple. In the Chamber of the Fayth, she knelt before the fayth stone of the Magus Sisters and lowered her head in prayer.

"Please, guide me and tell me what exactly it is I am supposed to do here."

As with every other night she had spent doing this for the last year, nothing happened. She knew it wouldn't; the fayth stone had long since expired, like every other fayth stone in Spira, but still, she couldn't help hoping.

After a five minute wait, Rayne crawled a few feet away from the stone and folded her cloak, using it as a pillow as she lay down.

One thing that hadn't changed about Remiem was the warmth of the Chamber, and within no time she was asleep.

Three minutes before midnight, Leblanc, Logos and Ormi snuck into the Camber, digging through several bags Rayne had scattered about. Logos was the one who found the bag of spheres, and when he had he signaled to the others and they slipped away into the night.

As one would predict, Rayne was pissed the following morning.


	3. After Two Years of Eternal Calm

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(After Two Years of Eternal Calm)

Nearly another year had passed and Rayne could stand it no longer.

She was now thirty-one years old and, as she had come to learn with her age, there were certain situations when attempting to wait something out didn't work.

Clearly, this was one of them.

So, twenty-three months after she had been resurrected, Rayne packed what little things she had, loaded Boky, and set off for Bevelle.

"I'm here to speak to Fereria." She said to the guard of the first door.

"Lady Rayne?" Rayne winced, then nodded. The guard nodded back, "The praetor would like to speak to you."

Sighing, Rayne followed the guard through the front gates and into Bevelle, ordering Boky to stay where he was. Once inside the main building, the guard directed her to a lift.

"That will take you to Praetor Baralai's office. Present your full title as it was recognized by the former Yevon church and you will be admitted immediately."

Sighing heavily, Rayne stepped onto the lift and waited as it rose, regretting complying with the guards directions as each moment brought her a few feet closer to the highest ranking official Bevelle and New Yevon currently had.

When the lift stopped, Rayne stepped off and walked down the short hall, crossing her arms and speaking to the two guards that stood before the only door the hall held, "Lady Rayne, former guardian of High Summoner Braska and High Summoner Yuna."

The two guards bowed and opened the double doors for her, giving her plenty of room to step in before they shut the doors again.

The office was located in one of the higher towers of Bevelle, this one unique in that it was made almost entirely of glass. Before her was a large, dark wood table covered with neat stacks of papers. On the other side of that table, standing near the glass and looking down at Bevelle, was a young, dark-skinned and silver-haired man.

"Praetor Baralai, I presume?" Rayne asked with a sigh.

The young man flinched slightly, having been broken out of whatever thoughts he was occupied with, and turned, nodding before bowing slightly to Rayne, "Lady Rayne. It is good to see you again."

Rayne frowned, "See me again? …" She thought for a moment, studying Baralai and his face, "…Wait, I do recognize you… Where have I seen you before?" Then it hit her, "Oh, yes, I remember now. You were one of the four involved in that… case that was somehow connected to Operation Mi'ihen. Your case was presented to the Court of St. Helemine and several of our sisters were sent to sit in on the final trial." Rayne blinked, "I wasn't one of them, but I was part of the escort. We saw you and the others shortly before the trial…"

Baralai nodded.

Rayne sighed and shook her head, "You'll have to forgive me; my time in the court was spent under severe brainwashing, so little remains clear."

Baralai nodded again, "I know. Several other Helemine sisters had been brainwashed, as well. That was part of why I disbanded the court when I was elected praetor."

Nodding slowly, Rayne stared at Baralai for a moment before blinking vapidly, "Was there some actual reason for your summons, Praetor, or did you just want to wile and beguile me with your act of disintegrating the hell hole the late Maester Mika shoved me into?"

"You came to see Fereria, yes?" When Rayne blinked, Baralai walked to his desk and picked up an envelope, holding it out, "She left Bevelle some time ago and joined the Youth League. She asked me to give this to you when you came."

Stepping forward, Rayne took the envelope and opened it, reading the letter out loud, "Left Bevelle. Gone to Youth League. Should be at Headquarters, look for us there. Fereria." Frowning, Rayne looked up from the letter, "Where is the Youth League Headquarters?"

"On the shores where Operation Mi'ihen took place." Baralai answered.

Rayne winced, "What a place…" Sighing, she shook her head before bowing to Baralai, "Thank you for your help, Praetor."

"It was an honor, Lady Rayne," Baralai insisted, "If there's ever anything else…"

"Actually, there is." The former guardian smiled, "Could you perhaps arrange for a transport to take myself and a chocobo as far as Guadosalam?"

Baralai nodded immediately, "It shall be waiting for you at the edge of Macalania."

"Thank you once again, Praetor."

"I assure you, Lady Rayne, it is an honor and a privilege to be able to help you." Baralai assured with a smile.

Bowing once more, Rayne turned and walked out of the room, stuffing the letter into the sleeve of her tunic as she did.

"Lady Rayne."

She paused at the door, not looking back.

"Lady Rayne… will you not reconsider the matter of joining New Yevon? Your support would be much appreciated—"

"I understand that you, in particular, want me to join out of sheer sincerity, Praetor Baralai, but there are still those in Bevelle who would seek to use the fact that a former Guardian of the High Summoner Yuna has joined New Yevon." Rayne said, still facing the door, "None of you… have any idea what we went through… or what I have personally faced in the past with Yevon. I am sorry, but I will not join."

"I understand." Rayne was thankful that he would not push the matter.

"Still… feel free to take heart in the fact that I will also join neither the Youth League nor the Machine Faction." Rayne paused, then nodded, "I beg your leave." Rayne left the room quickly, wanting to leave the presence of Bevelle altogether.

On the Highbridge, Rayne quickly mounted Boky and took off, ignoring the scandalized looks and angry calls of the angry Bevellians for her 'desecration of the holy temple'.

At the first intersection, Rayne tugged sharply to the right on Boky's reigns and he ran into Macalania. There, she nearly rode over someone and jerked back sharply on the reigns, making Boky falter and jump, the bird accidentally tossing her.

"Are you alright?" Rayne looked up into the worried face of a melancholy Guado, the person she had nearly run over, who had walked over to her when she had fallen.

"Yeah," Rayne grunted, standing and brushing herself off before taking Boky's reigns and calming him. When she was sure the bird was fine, she turned back to the Guado and blinked, "So, Tromell decided to bring you all to Macalania?"

The Guado nodded, "We Guado fled Guadosalam not long after you advised us to. Macalania was the first, most uninhabited place we came across, so we chose to remain here and die with the forest."

"Die?" Rayne frowned, appalled, "What's this about Macalania dying?"

"After the fayth disappeared at Macalania Temple and the Temple sank into the lake, the forest began to die," The Guado said sadly, "Because of this, few go into the forest itself, and those who do come in this direction pass through to Bevelle or the Calm Lands. Thus, hiding in Macalania Forest was the best option for we Guado."

Rayne nodded, then asked, "Tell me, where can I find Tromell?"

The Guado stared at her for a moment, gauging her trustworthiness, then sighed in defeat and answered, "The northern spring within the forest, where the scourged known as Spherimorph, the fiend your group defeated, once resided."

"Thank you," Turning to Boky, Rayne said, "Wait for me at the woods exit to the Thunder Plains, alright? I'll be there soon."

The chocobo squealed, then turned ran towards the Thunder Plains.

Nodding to the Guado, Rayne walked down the path to the entrance of the woods. After glancing between the energy path and the wooded path, she chose the energy, wanting to get to Tromell as quickly as possible.

As she walked, she noted the forest around her, noticing that it did, indeed, look like it was dying. Great patches of barren space, where there had once been trees, stood out prominently, and the trees that were left had lost their glowing luster. And as for what little seed pods were left…

"They look more dead than anything." Rayne muttered, frowning at the grey pallor the pods had taken compared to their previous rosy color. Sighing, she stepped off of the energy path when she had reached the end and took the first right she came to, emerging into northern sphere spring.

Many Guado glided through the trees like specters, sparing her melancholy glances but never saying a word.

Ahead of her and beneath the tree that grew from the sphere pool, Rayne saw Tromell, standing with his back to her. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle him.

Subtlety, however, wasn't necessary.

"Lady Rayne," Tromell said in his thick voice, not turning around but lowering his head, "I never believed you would come back from the final battle… We Guado were so sure you would pass on."

"I did." Rayne nodded, "But then Bahamut decided he needed something from me."

Tromell turned at this, staring at her, "The fayth sent you back?" When she nodded, the Guado blinked slowly, "I knew as soon as I met you that you were not of the living, but to have ties to the fayth and to be able to sustain yourself on your own now that they are gone… it would mean that you must be one, yourself."

Rayne paused before nodding, "Yes, I was one of the fayth. Actually, I was a denizen of Zanarkand." If there was to be anyone on Spira Rayne would admit the truth fully to, it would be a Guado. After all, they were the one race who knew death best.

"I see." The interest in Tromell's eyes died after he said that and he sighed, lowering his head, "Why have to come, Lady Rayne?"

"I came to see how you were doing as leader," Rayne answered airily, crossing her arms and quirking a brow, "And I see you're doing a shitty job."

Tromell stared at her gravely, "After Seymour, there shall be no more leaders for the Guado." He then narrowed his eyes at her pointedly, "Have _you_ been to see Lady Yuna?"

"Ohh, that's low." Rayne hissed, glaring at the Guado.

Tromell lifted his arms and shrugged helplessly, shaking his head, "Lady Rayne, you can hardly chastise the Guado if you, yourself, refuse to face your problems. Now, we Guado deserve our fate; we allowed and assisted Seymour in letting Spira become consumed in chaos. You, on the other hand, My Lady, have been given a rightly deserved second chance by the fayth, but judging by how much you smell of the Calm Lands and the fayth stone of Magus Sisters, I am willing to venture to say you haven't left Remiem much since you were granted your new life."

Rayne opened her mouth to protest, but Tromell held up a hand and silenced her, "Lady Rayne, I am touched that you would seek to sympathize with the Guado, but you should not waste your time. We Guado will pass, either without notice or by a well-deserved punishment. You, on the other hand, have a purpose, assigned specifically to you by the fayth, your brethren. I am in no position to tell you what to do, but I suggest you do whatever they need you to quickly, because the fate of Spira may lay in the balance of your completing the mission or not."

After staring at the Guado for a moment, Rayne nodded, "Just do not forget what I said to you two years ago; when the time comes and you must lead your people, I expect you to do it well."

Tromell watched her as she walked away, lowering his head and turning back to the sphere pool when she was gone.

Back at the intersection, Rayne turned and headed for Rin's Travel Agency, needing to see the fate of Macalania Temple, herself.

Despite having been told what had happened to the temple, she was still caught off guard.

The ice of the lake had all melted, leaving behind a gaping chasm edged by a snowy bank. The chasm extended down the old path to the forest in a thin, black line, and from what she could see there was no sign of the entrance to the temple. It really was gone.

Rayne sighed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, "Rest in peace, Shiva."

"Ca'hn I he'p you?" A familiar voice called from the direction of the Travel Agency, making Rayne look.

"O'aka XXIII?" She asked, blinking at the familiar man with the close cut orange hair, blue vest, giant green backpack and ridiculous small black hat.

"That'd be me." O'aka nodded, then narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, "You were'n sent b' Rin, were yeh?"

Rayne was immediately extremely thankful that she had changed her outfit long ago to one that had a high-necked cape and a wide brimmed hat, because had O'aka recognized her word of her return would spread all over Spira like wildfire.

"No," She shook her head, "I just came to see if what they said about the temple was true. I haven't been here in so long, so I hardly believed it."

"Aye, it was quite a shock." O'aka nodded, still looking at her suspiciously, "How di' you know me name, anyway?"

Rayne knew of one absolute way to distract O'aka from suspicion; flattery. "Who _hasn't_ heard of the great O'aka XXIII?"

It worked. The suspicion on O'aka's face faded immediately and he smiled widely, rubbing the back of his head, "Ah, yeh don't mean that."

"I do, I do." Rayne assured, nodding and smiling. She then started backing away slowly, waving, "Well, I'll be going now."

"'ave a good day!" O'aka called after her.

'I suppose it's a good thing I haven't had much contact with the outside world,' Rayne thought as she walked back towards the Thunder Pains, 'Though I do think it's made me a bit… harder.'

Boky was waiting beside a hover as she approached, jumping and squealing when he saw her.

"Miss Rayne, I presume?" The driver asked, bowing.

"Mrs., actually." Rayne corrected, stepping onto the bed of the hover and sitting down on the wraparound seating, leaving a large, flat expanse in the center for luggage, though this time it was occupied by a chocobo.

Boky followed her on willingly, bending his knees and settling down.

After the driver had mounted the seat and started the hover, it rose into the air and they took off down the dark road of the Thunder Plains. As they flew, Rayne noticed something.

"Why isn't the lightning striking the ground?" She called out over the roar of the engine.

"The Al Bhed." The driver called back, "They renovated and recalibrated the lightning towers so no lightning ever strikes the ground!"

Rayne blinked, then nodded and looked at the rocky plains, raising a hand and fingering the beads that took up a small portion of her upper-back-length hair that she had braided, the same beads Rikku had given her so long ago.

'So, the Al Bhed are finally accepted enough that the people of Spira trust their knowledge of machina? That's a relief…'

As Guadosalam came closer, Rayne reflected on the surrealism of her situation. To years ago, she had spent nearly half a year traveling from Besaid to Zanarkand. Now, in a matter of hours, she had gone from her residence in Remiem to Guadosalam.

"Have you been to Guadosalam recently?" The driver asked as he stopped the hover.

"Not in two years," Rayne admitted, encouraging Boky to stand and guiding him off of the bed of the hover, "Why?"

The driver winced, "Two years… Then I must warn you that the city… is not what it once was. It now houses the Leblanc Syndicate and sphere hunters, so…"

"Thanks." Rayne growled after he trailed off, turning and glaring at the entrance to the city, "Leblanc, huh? I wonder if it's just a coincidence…"

"Beg pardon?"

"Oh," Rayne turned back to the driver and smiled, "Nothing. Will you please deliver my thanks to Praetor Baralai?"

The driver nodded, "Good day, Mrs. Rayne."

Rayne backed away as the hover started, the machina rising a few feet into the air before turning around and taking off across the barren, blackened plains. When it was well out of sight, she turned back to Boky and grabbed his reigns, "Let's go, Boky. I think we have to make a quick visit to an old friend."


	4. Machine Faction and Youth League

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Machine Faction and Youth League)

"So she's not here?" Rayne asked, crossing he arms and pursing her lips.

"For the last time, lady!" One of the two guards in front of the red door sighed, exasperated, "No, she's not! And even if she were you wouldn't be allowed to see her without a prescheduled appointment!"

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" Rayne pressed, trying to be patient but bordering failing as she began to hiss through her teeth.

"Luca." The second guard answered, earning a hard smack from the fist.

"Shut up, idiot!"

Rayne, though, already had what she needed. Smiling, she turned and walked away from the door, casting a weary glance up at the Farplane. Someone was guarding the entrance, and no one was going in or out.

'Unstable.' She concluded as she walked to the front entrance of Guadosalam. 'Without the Guado to care for it and with the sudden loss of the fayth, the Farplane is probably dangerously unstable.'

Thanking her stars that she, for whatever reason, was no longer affected by being close to fayth and pyreflies, enabling her to pass through the city without feeling even the slightest bit nauseous, though she did tread lightly out of habit.

Nothing held her interest in the city so once she was outside it she mounted Boky, trotting him down the path. What few fiends did bar their path were quickly dispatched by the chocobo and before Rayne even had a chance to lift her hand.

When they arrived at the shores of the Moonflow, Rayne saw the first problem in their trip.

"Chocobos aren't allowed on the shoopuf." She muttered, biting her thumbnail as she looked up a the great, teal, elephant-like beast.

Boky shook his head and 'Wark'ed, then lowered himself to the ground.

Confused, Rayne dismounted and turned to stare at the bird, but he just nudged her towards the shoopuf.

"And what about you?" She asked.

Boky tossed his head, then turned and looked down the river, "Kweh!"

Rayne blinked, "I'm… guessing you know where a ford is?"

"Kweh!"

"Fine." The former guardian relented, "I'll meet up with you at Mushroom Rock, then."

"Kweh." Boky nodded decisively, then turned and took off down the shores of the Moonflow.

Sighing, Rayne walked up to the Hypello at the docks and nodded, "I'd like to cross, please."

The Hypello nodded, cupping his hands around his mouth and warbling, "All aboardz?" The lift was lowered.

When the shoopuf was crossing the water, Rayne sat sideways and looked down into the water, staring at the sunken city below.

Her mind began to wander and she imagined the city above the water, alive with the movement of her denizens. Then, she was no longer on the shoopuf.

Rayne blinked, finding herself standing in the middle of a crowd, everyone moving in the same direction, pressed against each other and driving each other forward to wherever they were headed.

'_Let's go!_' A woman beside her shouted, laughing, '_It's about to start!_'

'What?' Rayne muttered.

'_It's Bevelle! They're about to reveal their weapon to win the war against Zanarkand!_' Someone beside her answered.

Rayne frowned, 'What's the weapon?'

'_They call it Vegnagun._'

Then, just in front of them, there was a flash, and a great wall of light rise up like a wave, cresting above the swarming crowds before crashing down on them. The ground beneath their feet jostled, and millions screamed as the water below seemed to rise to meet them, swelling over the railing and washing over their feet.

Before them, a great shadow rose in the blinding light, a great skull head with flaming blue eyes boring down upon the masses and—

"Mizz?" She looked up, blinking blearily when she realized she had either zoned out or fallen asleep. The Hypello looking down at her blinked, "Yooz are getting off now?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rayne muttered, standing and shaking her head, "Sorry about that."

On the ground, she took off quickly down the southern wharf, wanting to be away from the sunken city and the memories that didn't belong to her as quickly as possible.

It hadn't been the first time it had happened, but the fact that the only times the memories came was when she was around remains of the ancient cities led her to believe that they were the memories of former citizens of the cities. The memories were part of the reason she had rarely left Remiem to visit the Calm Lands; the ruins in the area had started haunting her with visions and memories after Sin had been defeated.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Rayne jumped, striking an odd pose of standing on one foot and holding her arms above her head. Beside her, an Al Bhed guarding several hover bikes, stared at her oddly.

"You should pay attention, Ma'am." The Al Bhed man said, "There are fiends about."

"Thank you." Rayne shook her head, then looked in the direction of the temple, which looked alive and bustling, "Is the temple still visited?"

"Yes, but not by Yevonites." The man said, "Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction, uses it as the Faction's base of operations."

This caught her attention. "Really? And are outsiders allowed to visit?"

"It's encouraged!" The man said, smiling, "Please go and consider joining the Machine Faction!"

The state Rayne found the temple in was… lively.

The people who ran about did so with life and vitality Rayne never thought she'd see at one of the aeon temples, but she supposed that now that the need for pilgrimages was over it was to be expected; the temples would either be abandoned or flourish with new purposes.

Djose, she supposed, was an ideal temple for the Machine Faction to base its operations; the electricity was almost banally symbolic for machina and, and the machina they had probably found inside would have astounded and inspired them.

The former inn had been converted to, what appeared to be, an interviewing station for potentials who wished to join the faction. Several people attempted to wave her over to the line, but she smiled and waved them off, then proceeded to the temple.

Neither of the guards made any move to stop her, so she walked through the doors and into the foyer, blinded first by the darkness, then by the startling flashes of electricity.

When she could see again, she was surrounded by twitching machina, models she had once recognized as enemy but now stared at her docilely.

"Hey, you!" She turned, nodding to the young spiky-headed blonde with an eye patch. He nodded back, "You here for an interview?"

"No, I came to check on the state of the temple, actually." Rayne answered, smiling when a monkey jumped up on her arm, "After I saw what had happened to Macalania, I began to worry about the rest."

The teen's brow furrowed, "You from Bevelle, then?"

"Hah!" Rayne laughed, waving the assumption off with one hand, "Hardly. The temples just hold… sentimental value."

"Ahhh." The young man nodded, smirking, "So you're a former pilgrim, eh? Used to be a guardian or a summoner?"

"One or the other." Rayne smirked back. "I am Rayne."

"Gippal." He shrugged cockily, "Though you probably already knew that."

"Actually, no." Rayne laughed, "I didn't expect the leader of the Machine Faction to be so… young."

"Well," Gippal huffed, pursing his lips and leaning forward on one foot, "Just how old are you underneath that hat and cloak?" He tilted his head, trying to see into the shadows of her brim and collar.

Rayne smirked, lowering her head, "Ancient."

Gippal stared at her oddly, then stood straight and stated, "You're one of Lady Yuna's former guardians, the Lady Rayne."

'I suck at laying low.' "What makes you say that?"

"I met Auron in Sanubia just before Home was attacked." Gippal answered, watching as Rayne bristled. "I thought you were dead."

Rayne sighed, already tiring of explaining the same thing over and over, "'Lady Rayne' is dead. I'm just Rayne."

"Well, then, 'Just Rayne', how does how I'm treating the temple match up to your standards?" Gippal asked.

Laughing at his cheek, Rayne nodded and admitted, "Well, Gippal, very well, and I would thank you for that." She paused, then looked at him, "Tell me, has anyone entered the Chamber of the Fayth?"

"Since the Machine Faction took over? No." Gippal shrugged, "From the descriptions we've gotten about the Chamber, there's little machina in there other than light dimmers and door openers."

"Nothing of interest to you, huh?" Rayne smiled ruefully, "Well, at least Ixion's final resting place hasn't been desecrated, no matter the reasons." She paused, then sobered and nodded, "Thank you for your time, Gippal, but I have to be going."

Gippal nodded, then gave her a mock salute and smirked, "You got it, Just Rayne. Come back again sometime, alright? We got plenty of digging jobs out at Bikanel and no one to do them. Best part is, we pay."

"I'll keep that in mind, Gippal. Thanks." Rayne smiled again, then walked out of Djose, setting off down the road.

There, for the first time since she had started her journey, Rayne was challenged by fiends. It was in this challenge she found out that it hadn't been just the people of Spira who had changed.

"What in the hell are lupines doing here?" Rayne muttered, raising her hand and flicking her wrist as two Lupus fiends moved in on her.

Just as one of the Lupus fiends leapt at her, the attack that was released, a spike of 'Blizzard', shot forward and pierced it through the chest, knocking it backwards and driving it into the ground.

Rayne was just lowering her hand to focus on the other Lupus when it leapt over the first, diving straight for her. She lifted her hand for another attack, but the Lupus was already halfway to her when she began to move, and it was on top of her before she had her arm up halfway.

The fiend and mage tussled on the ground, one having the advantage of speed and the other of magic.

Eventually, after incurring several minor and one moderate injury, Rayne rolled on top of the Lupus and straddled it, raising her hand and charging it with magic. She then slammed it back down onto the fiend's chest, 'Lightning' rippling through sinew and muscle until it reached the heart and overloaded, then cooked it.

The fiend uttered an ear piercing screech, then fell limp.

Rayne sat where she was as the fiend turned to pyreflies beneath her, breathing heavily. After a moment, she raised her hands and rubbed her ears, wincing at the pain deep within the canal, near her eardrums.

'That shriek literally was ear piercing.' She thought, lowering her hands to gauge the injuries on the rest of her body.

Several scratches on her arm, the skin scraped off of her back and the backs of her calves were the minor injuries, and a fairly deep cut on the side of her face surmounted to the moderate injury.

'After all, cuts to the face bleed to the worst, right?'

Sighing, she reached into one of the faded pouches at her side and pulled out a Potion, pouring some onto the tips of her fingers and rubbing it onto the cut on her face. The skin tingled warmly and a sharp, fresh smell filled the air for a moment, then faded. When she felt the cut again, most of it had healed and it was no longer bleeding.

'Either I'm getting too old for these Potions to work properly,' She thought with a sigh, 'Or these Potions have just gone bad.' That thought in mind, she sniffed the vial. Her nose wrinkled at the rank stench. 'Yeah, bad Potions.'

After not having updated her supplies in a few months, though, Rayne wasn't caught off guard, so as she continued down the path Rayne went through her pouches and began clearing out everything that had expired. By the time she was done she was roughly ten pounds lighter and she was facing the path that led to the old location of the Operation Mi'ihen sight.

"And now it's the new location of the Youth League Headquarters." Rayne sighed, "There are too many factions springing up…"

"Halt!"

Sighing, Rayne raised her hands, calling, "You know, that has to be the most unoriginal standstill call there is."

"Just stay there!" The voice ordered, the owner walking up behind her and stepping in front of her, trying to stare into her face. "Identify yourself."

"The name's Rayne, and I'm just here to see Fereria." Rayne answered, staring at the young man before her, "Am I correct in assuming that this is the entrance to the Youth League Headquarters?"

"It is." The young man nodded, reaching out for her hat, "If you'll just let me—"

Rayne's hand shot out and grabbed the boy's wrist, holding it away from her head. "That's an invasion of privacy, boy." She growled, "And I highly doubt Meyvn Nooj would approve of that unless you held an undeniable doubt that I was a spy or a threat. Now, I'm telling you I've come here peacefully to see Fereria, so you're just going to have to accept that and let me go on in or bring her to me."

The boy ripped his wrist out of her hand and massaged it, staring at her before shouting, "Roulf! Take Miss Rayne to Headquarters and don't leave her side until she has been identified by Captain Fereria or the Meyvn."

Not bothering to wait for her guide, Rayne brushed passed the young man and took off down the path, barely acknowledging the Youth League soldiers around her that worked to keep the path clear.

Though it pained her, she brushed passed Lucil, Elma and Clasko at the lift, waiting until Roulf, a gangly young man dressed in red and yellow, ran on to activate the machina. At the top, she took off at the same hurried pace, though this time Roulf was right behind her.

"So…" He panted, "You… know Captain… Fereria?"

"She and I were friends when she was still in Bevelle." Rayne answered, ignoring the scandalized and angry looks of those around her when she mentioned the holy city, "I've been lax in my visits and didn't learn about her change in alliance until this morning."

"So… you _are_ with New Yevon?" Roulf gasped.

"I am with no faction." Rayne growled, stopping before two guards barring her entrance to the giant tent in the back of the camp. "Is Fereria in?"

"Cap'n Fereria is qui' busy ah' the momen'." One of the guards grunted, "Come ba'k ah' a la'er time."

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Tell her a certain 'Mrs. Rayne' is here to see her and I think you'll find she's not as busy as you believed."

The first guard paused, but the second turned and walked in. He was gone for several moments, several awkward and silent moments, before the door burst open and a body shot out, lunging at Rayne. The second guard, a boy, and a tall man in some sort of red cotton jumper walked out behind her, staring at the scene in shock.

"Oh, thank heavens, Rayne." Fereria muttered, "When you were gone for so long, I thought something had happened."

"No, that was my fault." Rayne smirked guiltily, patting her friend on the back, "You know I suck at keeping up with emotional attachments."

Fereria laughed, "That's true." She then backed away, rubbing her eyes before clearing her throat and turning back to the Youth Leagueians, who were still staring at her oddly. "Rayne, this is Rolf," She pointed to Rayne's guide, "Tavo," The first guard, "Ulai," The second guard, "Of course, you remember Michael," The young man she had walked out with, "And Meyvn Nooj." The tall man in red.

But Rayne had stopped listening after 'Michael'. She stared down at the boy in front of her, numb. His hair had grown out and hung to his shoulders, intense brown eyes peeking out from their black locks. Still, the eyes held a level of intelligence and maturity Rayne doubted even she possessed, and there was no doubt in her mind that this was her two year old son.

"Michael," She smiled, "You look… ten, frankly."

Michael smiled, "I know. I'm still healthy, though, so no one really worries about it. It's good to see you again, Miss Rayne. Fereria was starting to get frantic."

Rayne laughed, then turned to Nooj and crossed her arms, "Meyvn Nooj, it's a pleasure."

Nooj smiled and nodded, "As it is to meet you, Miss Rayne. Fereria talks about you frequently, though she always manages to leave out all of the important details."

"She knows I like my privacy. Anyway, hey, Fer," Rayne smirked at Fereria, "I think I've broken some record. Three of the worlds leading faction heads, all met in one day."

"You met Baralai and Gippal today?" Fereria blinked, "The Praetor I can understand, but the Al Bhed?…"

Rayne shrugged, "Djose is just down the road, so I thought I'd stop by and check on the temple. I have to admit, for being a cocky little punk, Gippal does know how to care for a fayth stone."

Seeing the frown Nooj was giving Rayne, Fereria lowered her voice and muttered, "See, Rayne used to be a guardian, so she has a deep-set respect for the fayth and the aeons." Smiling, she raised her voice again and laughed, "I remember she was always wanting to check on Bahamut's fayth stone whenever she visited Bevelle."

"Let's go inside." Nooj said suddenly, glancing at the angry faces around the camp, "I don't think this is the best place to talk about these things."


	5. Hermit No More

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Hermit No More)

"So, you just left the Calm Lands this morning?" Fereria leaned back in her seat, her brows disappearing into her bangs, "Woooo, you were on a _mission_, weren't you?"

Rayne shrugged, "I decided it was time to stop playing hermit for a bit and get to work on finding out what my mission is."

"Mission?" Nooj asked, blinking.

"My mission in life." Rayne said with a sardonic smile, spreading her hands out, palms up, "The mission bestowed upon me by forces greater than my own."

Nooj stared at her, then blinked and raised his cup of alcohol to his lips slowly.

"Where will you go now?" Fereria asked, "I mean, you left to find Michael and I, right? Will you stay here, with the Youth League?"

Rayne quirked a brow, "Did I stay in Bevelle simply because you two were there?"

Fereria smirked, "No, you didn't."

"Why not head to Luca?" Michael suggested, shrugging when everyone turned to him, "Luca is the central hub of all Spira; it's a large, densely populated area that holds no affiliation to anyone other than itself. People are making Luca either the final destination or a major stop in all of their journeys these days. If you're searching for your purpose, Luca is always a good place to start."

Rayne stared at him, then smiled, "There is no way in hell you're only two years old, or even ten, at that."

Michael smiled, "Fereria's told me my parents were wise people."

A jolt wracked Rayne's body and she was paralyzed, staring into the smiling face of her son.

"Yeah," She stood, thankful that her hat hid her face, "Personally, though, I'd say your father… out of the two of them, he was the wisest." She laughed hollowly, "Your mother was just impulsive."

Michael said nothing, staring at her with a smile on his face.

After a moment, Rayne nodded to Fereria, "Well, if you two are all right, then I guess I'll be going, now."

"Rayne, wait." Fereria turned to Nooj and nodded, "Meyvn, Rayne hasn't exactly… been out a lot in the past two years and still uses the old Sphere Grid system. Do we have any 'First Steps' Garment Grids we can spare?"

Nooj blinked, "Really?" He then glanced at Rayne for a moment before nodding, "I think we have one we can part with. I'll have one of my men get it while we head to the exit."

Rayne smiled, nodding her thanks to Nooj when no one else was looking. He apparently could tell she wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

At the door, a soldier handed Rayne a small stone plate, about half as large as her Sphere Grid but just as thick and of the same consistency. Fereria then pulled out her own Garment Grid and pulled out a sphere, handing it over.

"This is what is known as a 'Dressphere', a special sphere that, once it is placed and accessed on the Garment Grid, will allow you to use the abilities of the class of the sphere and gain 'Experience' for it. It also allows you to pick and chose what abilities you want to learn."

Rayne sighed, "Fereria, thank you, but this isn't necessary. I've already learned a majority of all of the Black Mage—"

Fereria held up a hand, "Rayne, do me a favor and use a level two or three black magic attack."

Sighing, Rayne turned and flicked her wrist, "Fir—" The spell stuck in her throat and her magic canceled out, reloading and recalibrating as a 'Fire' attack. Rayne gasped and grabbed her throat, disturbed by how much it burned, then turned to Fereria and rasped, "What?"

"When the fayth disappeared," Fereria began, shaking her head, "The Sphere Grids worked for a while longer, then, a little under a year ago, they just… stopped. We figure that, somehow, the fayth were tied to the workings of the Sphere Grids. Where before they were obsolete because there were no more spheres for them, now they're just… useless." Fereria shook the sphere in her hand, "This is my 'Black Mage' Dressphere. I don't use it because I have no magical affiliation whatsoever, so I want you to have it. Without it, all you can use is your first level magic, and you'll find that, in some areas, that won't be enough."

Rayne stared at the sphere, scowling. Then, with a sigh, she reached out and took it, pressing it into one of the nodes on her Garment Grid. The node lit immediately and the back began to shift under her fingers, and when Rayne turned it over she found herself staring at her stats.

"You're kidding…" She muttered, "I'm back to 45 magic and 12 strength?"

"Where were you before?" Fereria asked.

"113 magic and 57 strength." Rayne growled, "This is pathetic…"

"Well… at least you have something to do while you're on your way to Luca." Fereria said, smirking.

Rayne glared at her, "Shut it, Fer."

"You are very old-fashioned, aren't you?" Nooj asked, smiling amusedly.

"When it comes to battle systems that have been working for a thousand years with no serious backlashes, yes." Rayne frowned, waving the Garment Grid, "This system allows any idiot with a grid and a sphere to fight, all they have to do is engage a difficult enemy, land a blow, then flee. At least with the old system you actually had to defeat an enemy to get spheres to make any actual advancements."

All the Youth Leagueians had in reply were a few laughs.

Sighing, Rayne smiled and waved to Fereria, "Well, I'd better be going, now. Luca's not far off, but I'd like to make it before nightfall."

"That shouldn't be too hard; Mi'ihen has been fully equipped with hovers." Fereria hugged Rayne, "Come see us again, alright."

"I will." Rayne then lowered her voice, "I know you wouldn't under most circumstances, but please don't let Michael do anything that involves fighting against Bevelle."

"I won't."

They pulled apart and Rayne smiled at Michael awkwardly, "I see you around, right kid?"

Michael smiled back, then walked to her and hugged her, "Be safe."

Rayne jerked, then shook her head and patted him awkwardly on the back, "Yeah, right, well…" She turned and bowed to Nooj, "It was an honor meeting you, Meyvn."

"Safe journey, Miss Rayne." He reached out and offered his hand, which Rayne took.

As soon as they touched, Rayne felt an odd jolt rush down her arm. Nooj's face blurred, then changed into someone else's.

"Tidus?"

"Excuse me?"

Rayne blinked, shaking her head, "Huh?"

Nooj frowned, "You said 'Tidus'."

"Ah." Rayne shook her head, again, "Sorry. It's nothing. Well, later." She turned sharply on her heel and took off down the path, wanting to be away from Youth League Headquarters as quickly as possible.

At the junction that ended Mushroom Rock road and started the Mi'ihen Highroad, Rayne met up with Boky.

"Kweh, kweh." The chocobo shook his head, throwing his saddlebags and stamping his feet nervously, "Wark!"

"What is it, Boky?"

"Is that a chocobo?!" Rayne turned, blinking at the people that had gathered and were staring at Boky in wonder. The man who had spoken pointed to the chocobo, "We haven't seen a chocobo on the Highroad in ages!"

Rayne smiled and laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's nice." She then inched closer to Boky and hissed, "Get outta here. I'll head down to Luca then swing back up later; wait for me at the Youth League Headquarters."

Boky tossed his head, then turned and bolted when people began to crowd in on him.

"Nooo!!" A man screamed, raising his arms over his head, "I am the Chocobo Prophet! I am here to heaaaaaaaaal youuuuu!"

Rayne watched this for a moment, more than mildly disturbed, then bolted, herself, grabbing the saddle bags Boky had tossed and jumping onto the first hover she came to.

"Step on it!" She screamed to the driver.

The hover screamed to life and shot down the path, green whizzing by and leaving Rayne with no view of the Highroad. Not that she needed it, though; she remembered the path as if she had walked down in only yesterday.

Rayne closed her eyes and immersed herself in images of Mi'ihen; the gentle sway of crisp green grass, the musty smelly and damp feel of the Oldroad, the towering cliffs that glowed with rosy light when the sun set, the harsh crashing and biting winds of the ocean, accompanied by the salty tang in the air and the light spraying mists. It was where she had first begun her journey with Lord Braska ten years ago, and three years ago it was where she had met up with Auron again. Yes, Mi'ihen was an old friend.

When the hover slowed and came to a stop in front of Rin's Travel Agency, the driver turned around, "Do you need any supplies, Ma'am? Or do you want to ride on through to Luca?"

"Luca, if you please." Rayne nodded, then looked out over the scenery as the hover took off again, though this time at a slower pace.

The closer they got to Luca, the more the ruins of the old Mi'ihen city from a thousand years ago grew in frequency; great hunks of steel, decorated with fading red paint, moss, and rust from the salty sea air.

Rayne could feel something tugging at her mind in a way she had come to recognize as the memories of the ruins attempting to speak to her, but she closed her eyes, trying to block it out.

A scream forced her to look, magic charging in the tips of her fingers. She instantly regretted her chivalry.

All around her, the great machina city burned.

Fiends ran abound, and the denizens fled in fear of their lives.

The few Bevellians present tried, in vain, to defeat the rampaging fiends with machina, but their ranks were slowly decreasing.

For Rayne, everything seemed to move in slow motion as, nearby, a mother fell to her knees, clutching her baby to her chest. The woman looked Rayne right in the eye, pleading, "_Please, Magistrix! Save us!_"

Body numb, Rayne could only watch as a Behemoth rose on its hind legs behind the woman, beheading her with one swipe of its paw.

"_You weren't there to help them_." A voice hissed in her ear, "_Because, by this time, you had already left Bevelle._"

Rayne took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, "Had I not, Spira would have been far worse off than it is now."

"_Excuses do not atone for what you did, _Magistrix_._" The voice spat before it faded, the scene before Rayne leaving with it.

Shutting her eyes, Rayne took a deep breath before opening them again, heaving a sigh of relief. The hovercraft had stopped at the top of the steps to Luca and the driver was calmly waiting for her to get off.

She slung her saddlebags over her shoulder and jumped off of the bed of the machina, brushing her hand across the Save Sphere before briskly walking to the steps, wanting to be off of the Highroad as quickly as possible.

The sights and smells of Luca had not changed in two years, the view still vibrant and the air heady with the scents of rich foods and sea air. As she walked further into town, Rayne noticed that people were either all heading towards the docks or crowding around viewing spheres.

"Hurry!" Someone shouted, "Lady Yuna's concert is about to begin!"

Rayne faltered at this, then clutched the saddle bags tighter and ran, heading straight for the sphere pool.

'Yuna.'

The docks were completely silent, but the sounds of shouting just on the other side of the walls that surrounded the sphere pool suggested that everyone was already inside; people where cheering, clapping, and screaming with excitement.

Guards stood sentry at the doors, gulls sang, and, above the roof, the dome of the sphere pool began rotating.

Rayne calmly walked up the steps by the reception counter, glancing at the guards before the main entrance before walking down into the locker rooms, tossing her saddlebags into the Auroch's room before walking up to the blitzer entrance of the sphere pool.

Several electric guitars began to play on the other side as she pressed the palms of her hands against the door, unleashing a 'Thunder' and overloading the machina. The door shuddered, then fell loose on its tracks, letting Rayne push it upwards enough for her to slip under.

"_What can I do for you?_"

Lights flashed on and Rayne looked up, her heartstrings tightening when she saw Yuna standing before her not thirty feet away.

The girl lifted her head and walked forward, raising her arms over her head. Her traditional summoner clothes turned to ribbons, raising over her and dancing in a sphere formation.

"_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_"

Yuna began to glow and new clothes, a flowing blue garment with a side skirt, formed on her and a microphone descended, which Yuna reached up and grabbed, starting to dance.

"_I can hear you._

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_"

Yuna smiled at the crowd, then began to sing.

"Far beyond the hazy borders of my heart,

I could see a place.

It's something like this.

Every now and then I don't know what to do,

Still, I know that I can never go back.

And all the things I've seen in those hazy dreams

Can't compare to what I'm seeing now.

Everything's so different that it brings me to my knees!"

"Hey, you!"

Rayne turned, tilting her head and smirking at the guard, "Yes?"

"And though I know the world of real Emotion has surrounded me,

I won't give into it.

Now I know that forward is the only way my heart can go.

I hear your voice calling out to me,

'You'll never be alone.'"

"Let's go." The guard said gruffly, reaching out and taking Rayne by the elbow. Though Rayne wasn't really up for confrontation at the moment, the man was standing between her and her surrogate daughter, and that wouldn't do.

"_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_"

"I can hear you." Yuna sang as Rayne reached out, pressing her hand against the guard's forehead and sending a surge of 'Thunder' to his brain.

The man fell, unconscious and suffering from a mild concussion.

"And when I find, the world of real emotion has surrounded me,

And I can't go on, and you are there.

The moment that I close my eyes, you comfort me.

We are connected for all of time,

I'll never be..."

Rayne turned around, getting past the looks of 'Yuna' and listening to the voice.

"And though I know the world of real Emotion has surrounded me,

I won't give into it.

Now I know that forward is the only way my heart can go.

I hear your voice calling out to me,

'You'll never be alone.'"

'That's not Yuna.' Rayne thought as the final chorus repeat began.

"_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_

_What can I do for you?_"

"I can hear you…"

Yuna did one final dance, then raised her hand.

"I can hear you."

Her hand fell and, beneath her, the stage sent off a small explosion of light, at which point one of the performance hovers descended onto the glowing platform, two girls jumping off, one noticeably being—

"Rikku." Rayne muttered, smiling in relief, "You stayed with her." 'Though the 'her' onstage isn't Yuna.'

'Yuna' began dancing, practically glaring at the two young women in front of her.

"Hey!" Rikku shouted, the microphone in 'Yuna's' hand amplifying the sound, "Give it back already!" The Al Bhed whipped out two red daggers with odd, circular hilts.

'Yuna' scoffed, "Boys?" Behind her, two males in green uniforms flipped up, and 'Yuna' went on, "Want in on this number? Then show me your moves!"

The silver-haired young woman with Rikku pulled out a greatsword, "Think you can keep up?"

The battle that ensued was quick, and the crowds cheered as the five fought, thinking it was part of the show.

When it was over, 'Yuna' lost, and the silver-haired young woman twirled her sword over her head, "I could have danced all night."

'Yuna' shrugged, calling out in an obnoxious voice, "Sooooory! No time for an encore!"

Rayne winced as the three girls ran out, turning and going back into the locker rooms, herself, 'That is _definitely_ not Yuna.'

She walked around the docks, looking for where the girls had gone.

At dock three she saw them, Rikku and the other girl battling two familiar men in blue, but one figure caught her eye. Rayne fell back and watched as a giant moogle shed its polyester/cotton blend skin, revealing another Yuna, though this one the real one.

She shot at Logos and Ormi, then ran forward and vaulted off of Ormi's shield, flipping around and continuing to shoot at the two men.

'Oh, yes,' Rayne smirked as the three girls struck a pose, 'This is the _real_ Yuna.'

The three girls defeated Logos and Ormi once, at which point 'Yuna' walked up, snapping at the two men. Though, by now, Rayne knew this wasn't just any Yuna imposter.

'Leblanc.' Rayne sneered as the older woman threw Yuna's Garment Grid back to her, transforming into her default 'Lady Luck'.

Rayne sat back and watched as Yuna, Rikku, and the other girl, who the former two had addressed as 'Paine', fought Leblanc, Logos and Ormi, defeating them easily.

Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi ran off, but Rayne froze their feet before they got too far. She stopped and watched as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine boarded an airship and took off before she went to address the three.

"Ugh, who did this?!" Leblanc screeched, "I demand you show yourself at once!"

Smirking, Rayne walked passed the three and turned around, tipping her hat back a bit so the three could get a better look of her face and crossing her arms, "Yo."

Logos and Ormi froze, and Leblanc began laughing nervously, "Ah, hehehee, Miss Rayne!" Leblanc struggled against the ice at her feet, trying to be discreet but failing, "What a… nice surprise."

"Shut it," Rayne snapped, uncrossing her arms and holding out her hand, "My spheres."

"Gone!" Leblanc squeaked, no longer bothering to hide her struggling, "All either traded, bartered, or sold!"

"You admit it so freely." Rayne blinked, silently raging behind her calm façade.

Leblanc shrugged and smiled nervously, "You seem like the kind of person who believes in honesty being the best policy."

"Leblanc…" Rayne sighed and laughed, shaking her head.

Thinking she was off the hook, Leblanc began to laugh with her, Logos and Ormi starting after a moment.

Rayne then abruptly stopped laughing and raised one hand, scowling, "You don't know me at all."

On the other side of the railing, some of the ocean rose up and washed over Leblanc and her men, dragging them over and into the water. Rayne then walked to the edge and snapped her fingers, a 'Thunder' striking the water and shocking the three soundly.

"A lot of things have changed in two years, but it's refreshing to know that 'Water' is still the best conduit for 'Thunder'!" Rayne called, laughing. She then looked to the sky, watching as the red airship circled Luca for a bit, then turned and took off northward.

'Two years… it's been so long, yet it feels like time has hardly passed… Yuna's grown so much, and now she's taken flight and traveling Spira on her own.'

Rayne sighed, stepping away from the railing and walking back to the second dock, deciding on the spot to board the _Winno_ and go to Besaid.

'I guess I can't avoid it forever… right?'


	6. Meetings Again

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Meetings Again)

The ride on the _Winno_ lasted longer than originally intended by even the captain due to bad tides around Kilika, which made the ship circle the island for several hours before they even dared to attempt docking.

It was late evening when the passengers arrived at their destination, and when Rayne asked she found out that the _Liki_ had been delayed until the following morning and she would have to stay in port.

Not that she minded; Rayne actually wanted to take a bit of time to examine the new Kilika Port, anyway.

She remembered, somewhat hazily, what the port had looked like the very first time she had seen it on Braska's pilgrimage, and she remembered perfectly what she had seen of it after Sin had attacked two years ago, but what she saw now shocked her far more than either of her previous experiences had.

Great sheaths of fabric lay strung all about, acting as roofs, overhangs, tablecloths, and rugs all at once. People were running back and forth, buying supplies or simply meeting people they knew. The houses stood on great constructs, elevated several feet above the water, and the fine ocean breeze, heated by the sun, kept everything and everyone warm.

It was almost as if the attack never happened.

Rayne walked around serenely, admiring the sights. She was just about to check into an inn when something caught her eye.

Near the back of the village, standing in front of a grand house in a cozy niche, were Barthello and Dona, apparently arguing.

Remembering that she and the summoner had always been at odds, Rayne simply walked on, heading for the forest. Needless to say, she was surprised when her path to the temple was barred by a guarded gate.

"Halt." One of the guards held up his hand, "None are allowed to enter."

Rayne bristled, "Excuse me?"

"I said no one can go past this point." The guard explained calmly, apparently used to people opposing his orders.

"I wasn't aware that the forest and temple _belonged_ to anyone." Rayne growled, her eyes narrowing, "Who do you work for?"

"The Youth League." The guard said, his voice going monotone as he could tell that this was going to be quite an argument, "If you have any issues with this, I'm afraid you'll have to take it up with a higher official."

"Oh, I will. Next time I'm at Headquarters, I'll speak to Fereria and Nooj about this."

The guard balked, glancing at his partner nervously, "You…_ know_ Captain Fereria and Meyvn Nooj?"

This gave Rayne an idea, and she laughed to herself, keeping her exterior frosty, "Fereria is a close personal friend of mine, and I just had a meeting with her and Nooj this afternoon."

The guards fidgeted, then the one she was talking to opened the gate and nodded to her, "Please, go on in."

'You're a bitch, you know that?' Part of Rayne chastised as she walked through the gate.

"But more often than not," Rayne countered, smirking, "The bitch gets what she wants, if she plays her cards right."

As she walked through the forest, Rayne stuck to the smaller side paths in order to run into as little resistance as possible, which wasn't to say she was able to get through unopposed. Actually, quite the opposite.

"So what if you've met the Meyvn and who cares of you know Captain Fereria?" One of the guards she met on the path to the temple asked, frowning and crossing his arms, "Unless you have clearance, you aren't allowed to be here."

Rayne blinked, "The guards at the gate didn't seem to care."

The forest guard scowled, "Those guys were put at the front gate because they have better public relation skills than the rest of us do. We don't take shit in here. If you don't have clearance, you don't belong here."

"I only came to check on the tem—"

"The temple is fine." The guard interrupted, "There are plenty of New Yevonites up there to make sure of that. Now," He nodded back towards the gate, "Head on back to the town, Ma'am."

Rayne made to protest, but the guard just sighed and grabbed her arm, turning her around and walking her back to the entrance of the forest.

Too shocked by his forwardness to protest, Rayne let him lead her back, though she did drag her feet a bit.

At the gate, she walked through and back into the city, her hands shoved into her pockets.

'What was that about the bitch getting what she wanted?' Rayne's vindictive mind asked, a smirk clear in her voice.

"Shut up." Rayne muttered, heading for the inn. "Room for one, please."

"That'll be 200 gil." The receptionist said, smiling. Rayne handed her the money and the receptionist handed her the key.

In her room, Rayne took off her hat and cloak and threw them across one side of the bed, flopping down on the other side and falling straight to sleep.

* * *

The next day Rayne boarded the _Liki_ in the early morning, pacing the deck the whole ride to Besaid as she practiced what to say to Wakka and Lulu.

"Hi, you two. Remember me? It's Rayne— no!" She leaned against the railing, staring out over the ocean, "Yo, it's Rayne… that's even worse." Rayne slammed her head against the railing, letting out a long sigh, "Jeez, I hope I don't have to see Yuna again. That'd been even more difficult than this…"

Sighing again, Rayne lifted her head and looked at the horizon, watching the gulls fly in pace with the ship.

All around her cheery voices ran out, children laughed, and gulls cried. Already, she could feel Besaid slipping back into her blood, surrounding her with its warm familiarity and welcoming her back.

But she was nervous.

No length of time could take away her memories or deter her so that wasn't the issue, but being 'dead' for two ears would certainly be an obstacle to overcome.

All too soon the island came into view, and Rayne found herself pacing again, her stomach churning painfully and her muscles tense.

When the boat docked she was the last passenger off, and she spent a good ten minutes just staring at the pier, one of the crewmen actually having to gently push her onto the ramp before she began walking, mechanically, to the village.

Her mind was numb as she walked through the entrance, and her body carried her, without any commands from her befuddled brain, straight to Wakka and Lulu's tent, her old home.

The two former guardians looked up as she walked in, Wakka standing when he didn't recognize her and crossing his arms.

"Can we help you with somethin'?"

Rayne opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Instead, she raised her hand slowly and gripped the brim of her hat, pausing before she took it off, slowly lowering it, her eyes on the ground.

After a moment, she slowly looked up into the shocked faces of her two former, fellow guardians, smiling uneasily, "Hey."

Wakka stumbled back and sat back down, just staring at her.

After a moment, Lulu stood and walked towards her, reaching out and unclasping her cloak. As the cloth fell to the ground, Lulu gasped.

"It is you…" She muttered.

Rayne's body trembled, "Lu…"

Lulu's lower lip quivered, then she lunged forward, her arms wrapping around Rayne and holding her tightly, an action Rayne quickly returned. After a moment, another pair of strong, bronze arms wrapped around the women.

"Lady Rayne…" Wakka muttered.

Rayne smiled, "Wakka… Lulu…" She lowered her head, clinging to Lulu desperately, "I'm so sorry…"

"Rayne… what happened?" Lulu asked, backing away, "I thought that you and Sir Auron…" Her eyes widened, "Is he—"

"Auron is dead." Rayne nodded, "I was resurrected by the fayth in order to complete one final mission for them." She then noticed the way Wakka was still holding Lulu and smiled, "Are you two together?"

"Married." Wakka nodded, smiling, "And Lu's about to have a baby, ya."

"A baby?!" Rayne gapped at Lulu, who nodded and smiled. Rayne smiled back, "Lu, that's great!"

Lulu nodded, her smile faltering as her eyes began to water.

Rayne felt herself tearing up, then she and Lulu lunged at each other again, hugging. Rayne heard Wakka choke back a sob and saw the man turn away out of the corner of her eye.

"After you…" Lulu trailed off, unable to say 'died', "Yuna was upset for so long… We all were. Seeing you back," Lulu pulled back, holding Rayne at arm length and smiling, "It's painful… but in a good way." She paused, "How long have you been back?"

"…Two years." Rayne admitted, stepping back and lowering her gaze, "When I found myself alive… and alone… I couldn't…"

"It's alright." Lulu nodded when Rayne looked up, "We understand." They were silent for a moment, then Lulu abruptly said, "You're staying. For three days, at the very least."

"Of course." Rayne nodded, smiling, "I'll stay for as long as you can stand me."

"We could stand you forever, Lady Rayne." Wakka smiled.

"Thanks… And Wakka?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't call me 'Lady'."

* * *

Wakka and Lulu insisted on telling the entire village of Rayne's return, saying that they had all been distraught when they heard of her death and would be overjoyed to see her again.

Rayne, though, wouldn't let them; not only would they not be able to explain how she had come back to life, she didn't want news of her return flooding out all at once. She felt it would be better if it were gradual.

There was also another reason, though Rayne didn't tell the couple; she didn't want Yuna knowing.

If Yuna was going to know of her return, she wanted to tell the girl, herself. And she wasn't sure she was ready for her to know.

So, Wakka and Lulu let Rayne keep herself secret, and as she stayed with the young couple they told her of everything that had happened with their own lives after they defeated Sin.

"Yuna became the most popular person in all of Spira; like a guru in a lot of ways." Wakka shook his head, "People made reservations for meetings with her months in advanced, and some made entire pilgrimages from as far as the Calm Lands to see her."

"Then, a few months ago, Rikku suddenly appeared with a sphere." Lulu went on. "According to Wakka, it showed footage of a man who…" She looked to Wakka, who raised his hands helplessly.

"He looked like Tidus." Wakka said bluntly, "I thought it kinda weird, since he dove from the ship after the fayth were sent over the Calm Lands. We all thought he was sent with them, since he kinda was one of them, but there he was, on a sphere. It was enough for Yuna, and she went with Rikku to look for more clues."

Rayne nodded slowly, taking it all in. Then, in an attempt to change the topic to something lighter, she asked, "Where's Kimahri?"

"Gagazet." Wakka answered, nodding seriously, "A few Ronso survived the massacre, and Kimahri rose up to lead them. He's the elder now, and we haven't seen him in two years or heard from him in a few months. He's probably alright, though. After all, he is Kimahri, ya?"

"What about you?" Lulu asked, "Where have you been staying? What have you been doing? And what happened to…" She looked at Rayne's stomach, obviously referring to her baby.

"After I woke in the Farplane, I made my way north." Rayne began, "I was headed for Zanarkand, I suppose, but I didn't make it passed Bevelle before I went into labor. I had my son in the city, then continued and wound up at Remiem in the Calm Lands. Up until a few days ago, I stayed there."

"A boy?" Wakka asked, smiling, "What'd you name him? Where is he?"

"Michael." Rayne answered, "After his uncle, my brother. And he's…" She lowered her gaze, "He's with an old friend of Auron's, at the Youth League Headquarters in Mushroom Rock."

Knowing better than to ask, Lulu went on, "What made you leave Remiem?"

Rayne shrugged, "I thought it was time for a change of scenery. After some business in Bevelle, I made my way to Mushroom Rock, and from there Luca, and then I decided it was about time I came here, so here I am."

"You've had a long journey." Lulu observed, standing, "Come, Wakka. Let's give Rayne some time to rest. And you will use out home." Lulu stared at Rayne, her gaze leaving no room for argument, "You have come too far and done too much to deny yourself a nap, now lie down."

With a sigh, Rayne complied, not realizing how tired she was until she had laid down on the comfortable, familiar, and well-worn bed she hadn't slept on for three years. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out, resting like she hadn't been able to for so long; comfortably.

* * *

The next day, Rayne hurried about Wakka and Lulu's home, her hat firmly on her head as she desperately searched for her cloak. She had to find it before they showed up.

She had seen the red ship from Luca hover nearby the village, so she could only assume that Yuna, Rikku and Paine were moments away.

"You don't want Yuna to see you?" Lulu asked, holding out the green fabric that was Rayne's cloak.

"No." Rayne muttered, taking the proffered material and clasping it around her shoulders, at her throat, "Not yet."

Lulu looked at the door, suddenly quieting her voice as she muttered, "Too late."

The blanket covering the door was pushed aside as three young, feminine figures walked in, stopping in front of the doorway.

Yuna clasped her hands behind her back and smiled at her old, darkly dressed guardian, "Hello, Lulu." The young woman then turned to Rayne, blinking. "You…"


	7. Welcome to the Gullwings

*sighs heavily* Rayna's not even going to bother with excuses or justifications; she's been lazy. Thank Blue-Huntress, who begged and made me feel bad. *lowers head* Thank you, Blue-Huntress...

Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Welcome to the Gullwings)

Rayne tensed and said nothing, afraid Yuna had recognized her.

"Heeeeeey!" Rikku said suddenly, bouncing forward and pointing to Rayne, "You're the lady from Luca, right?" When Rayne didn't say thing, the young girl went on, "We saw what you did you Leblanc and her two goons after we left. …That _was_ you, right?"

Rayne paused, then nodded.

Rikku frowned, "What's up with you?"

"She doesn't talk much." Lulu said suddenly, standing and walking to the door, "Yuna, let's go for a little walk." The younger Black Mage glanced at the disguised older, "Walk us to the entrance?"

Rayne nodded mutely, pulling the brim of her hat down a little more as they emerged from the shadowed tent into the noon Besaid sun.

Clearly as intensely curious as always, Rikku danced around Rayne with an excited grin on her face, trying to get a peek under the wide brimmed hat, "Just what do you look like? Do you have a huge scar or something? Ooooo! Or are you a mercenary?"

Rayne just silently lowered and maneuvered her head accordingly, taking a step back when Rikku got too close.

"Rikku, stop." A darkly dressed young woman with silver hair snapped at the Al Bhed, smacking her over the back of the head before throwing Rayne an apologetic nod, "Sorry about her. She has a hyperactive disorder."

Rayne just nodded, giving an unseen strained smile and pulling her already high collar up a bit higher.

At the entrance of the village she stopped, nodding to Lulu as they walked out.

"We'll be back before evening." Lulu nodded, "And Yuna and her friends will be staying the night. Could you prepare dinner?"

Happy for something to do, Rayne nodded, turning back and heading to Lulu's hut, where she started water to boil for a stew. While she waited, Rayne made a quick stop by the Crusaders Lodge.

"Are beds still rented out here?" She muttered, keeping her voice low and unrecognizable. She didn't recognize the person now running the hut, but she didn't want any more information about the 'shadowy stranger' staying with Lulu and Wakka to get out.

"Uh… yeah." The young man behind the counter nodded, "We do. Will you be stayin' tonight?"

"I will." Rayne nodded, keeping her voice low, "I will arrive one hour before sunset and take a bed of my choosing, then?"

"Uhh…" The young man blinked, "Yeah, tha's fine, ya?"

Nodding, Rayne set a bag of gil on the counter and walked out, heading back to the hut and throwing some vegetables and meat into the boiling water.

Not long after, Lulu returned with the three young ladies in tow. Then, right after they had walked in, Wakka ran in.

"Yuna's here La—aaaa—aaa…" He trailed off, stopping on one foot and staring at Yuna.

Rayne tensed. He had come to warn her, but in warning her had nearly given her up.

"…'Laaaay'?" Rikku repeated, blinking, "Wakka, who're you talking to?"

"Daaaaah…" Wakka stood on both feet and slumped, rubbing the back of his head, "That is…"

"Lady." Lulu stepped in, nodding to Rayne, "I never introduced her, did I? Yuna, Rikku, Paine, this is Lady, a friend of ours. She was born here, on Besaid, then moved to Luca about a year before you came, Yuna. This is the first time we've seen her in twelve years."

"Oh, yeah!" Wakka jumped in, laughing and smiling a bit too excitedly, "We use to have all sort'sa fun together, eh, Lady?!" He reached out and smacked Rayne on the back, making her stumble a bit.

She had to bite her tongue, and hard, to stop herself from snapping at him.

"But…" Yuna frowned, "You've never mentioned her before…"

"Because we know how Lady likes her privacy." Lulu nodded, "As you can tell from her conservative attire, Lady is a very withdrawn person. Back when we were younger she rarely ever spoke, and since she's come to visit we haven't heard more than a 'hello, again' from her." She smirked. "The most I ever remember her saying in a single sitting is 'actions speak louder than words'…"

Twitching, Rayne contemplated flipping Lulu the birdie. 'Let's see her take _that_ for an action and get some words out of it…'

"So, Miss Lady." Rayne turned to Rikku, who was smiling excitedly, "What's your class? Warrior? Berserker?"

"Can't ya tell by her getup, Rikku?" Wakka grinned, "She's a mage. A Black Mage."

"And a good one, at that." Lulu nodded.

"…Did you know Rayne, then?" Yuna asked suddenly.

Wakka and Lulu froze, glancing at one other.

Before either of them could stutter out any more drabble that would only make interacting with Yuna and the others more difficult, Rayne rasped, "Only briefly…"

Yuna nodded, lowering her gaze.

"Hey, Yuna," Wakka said after a minute, "Lady is pretty well traveled; maybe she would know where that sphere was recorded…"

Yuna perked, nodding and holding out an orange sphere.

Rayne took it gingerly, looking it over. It was old, she could tell that much; the color was faded and its composition was weak in her hands, the molecules that held it together long since relaxed so that her fingers went into the very sphere itself.

Spheres were made of the special water in Macalania and infused and held together by pyreflies. New spheres, where the memories that they held were fresh and strong, felt like solid balls of glass. The pyreflies of older spheres lost their power over time as the memories faded, and thus lost their composition.

"Old…" Rayne rasped, holding the sphere gently.

Yuna, who had slid over beside her, nodded, "I noticed… but—"

"Watch it." Rikku said from behind them.

Twitching, Rayne glanced over her shoulder, hunkering down when she saw Rikku and Paine hovering behind them.

Rayne shook her head, then turned back to the sphere, playing it.

"So?" Rikku leaned over her shoulder as it played, "Waddya think? Recognize that place?"

When she didn't so much as move, everyone turned to her.

"Lady?"

Rayne stared at the sphere, mind no longer in touch with reality.

"_How fares the lady Magistrix? Is she here yet?"_

"_No, but she should be somewhere close to the gaol by now…"_

As they spoke, Rayne emerged into the great room of the gaol, shuddering as she looked upon the great mechanism that lifted and spun cages like a demented children's crib mobile…

"Lady!"

Rayne jerked sharply and sat back, the sphere nearly falling from her hands.

"Lady?! Lady!"

"Ugh…" Rayne shoved the sphere into Yuna's hands, standing and walking to the doorway.

"Wait!" Yuna called after her, "Where is it?! What do you know?!"

"The gaol." Rayne rasped, no longer having to fake it, "The gaol…" Drained and disoriented, Rayne stumbled out of the hut and over to the Crusaders Lodge, collapsing onto the nearest bed and passing out.

* * *

By the time Rayne woke the next day the sun was high in the sky, and as she stumbled out of the lodge, fixing the bent brim of her hat, Wakka and the girls were walking back into the village, the three teens looking worse for the wear.

"Girls just beat a pretty big dragon, ya." Wakka nodded when he saw her, "Yuna and Rikku ain't lost it, and Paine is pretty good, too."

Rayne nodded, expecting no less.

"Lu wanted to talk to you, ya?"

Nodding again, Rayne turned and walked to the couple's hut, vaguely aware that the others were following her.

"Good morning, Lady." Lulu nodded to her as she walked in, "Feeling better, I hope?"

Rayne nodded once more, stepping aside so that Yuna and the others could walk in.

"We have to be going now, Lu." Yuna clasped her hands behind her back sheepishly, "We still have a lot of Spira to search…"

"Of course." Lulu nodded, smiling, "However, I do have one request."

"Yes?" The young ex-summoner immediately asked.

At this point, Lulu turned to Rayne, "Please, go with them."

The girls gasped and Rayne tensed.

"You know Spira well." Lulu said pointedly, standing and resting one hand on her stomach, "And you are an experienced fighter. Spira is changing, and I worry for them; there are people out there who would take advantage of their naivety."

"Excuse me?" Paine quirked a brow, earning a stern look from Lulu. The girl sighed and looked away.

"Please." Lulu looked back at Rayne, leaving off the 'Lady'. She wasn't asking the mask, she was asking the person in hiding.

Rayne sighed heavily, working her jaw before turning to look at Yuna.

"I don't mind." Yuna smiled, "The help would be much appreciated, right Rikku?"

Rikku grinned, throwing one fist into the air and bouncing, "The Gullwings are always willing to accept new recruits!!"

Rayne sighed again, crossing her arms and staring at the stitches in the cloth tent in front of her. She was, once again, being asked to be a guardian. And not just a guardian for anyone, but the guardian of her former summoner and the daughter of her second summoner. Not to mention, guardian for a young woman who believed she was dead…

This would prove to be an awkward assignment.

Oh, she already knew she was going to accept; there was no way she couldn't. She just… needed a moment to think about everything that could, and probably would, go wrong.

'Things could get very… strained… if she finds out who I am.' Rayne reached under the brim of her hat and rubbed her forehead, 'And I'd much rather her not know… I still can't face her. Still…'

The thought of Yuna out there on her own was… unsettling, especially considering how perilous Spira had become…

"Fine." Rayne rasped, nodding.

"Yay!! We get a new friend!!" Rikku cheered, lunging and latching onto Rayne's waist.

Rayne looked down at her wryly, 'Someone gave you too much sugar today, didn't they?'

"Well, we'll be going, then." Yuna smiled, hugging Lulu, "But we'll be back. I promise."

"We gotta come back!" Rikku nodded, "We have to see the baby when it comes."

Lulu smiled, leaning against Wakka as he wrapped an arm around her waist, "Of course you do. Good luck, and I hope you find him…"

Yuna nodded, "We will."

When the three girls had left the tent, Rayne reached out and clamped hands with Lulu, grinning sternly at her from under her hat. "I will get you for this."

"Tell her." Was all the younger mage said in return before turning Rayne around and pushing her out into the sun by her shoulders.

Rayne reached under her hat to rub her eyes, blinking when her raised hand was seized by a smaller, gloved one. She then stumbled when the hand jerked her forward.

"C'mon, Lady!" Rikku giggled, "The Celsius is going to set down right outside the village and Brother _hates_ waiting… Not that we care what he thinks." She hissed in a fierce undertone.

A smirk quirked at Rayne's lips as Rikku pulled her towards the save point.

For a brief moment, Rayne wondered if this was, once again, a game. If Michael, Sebastian and Heather were on the outside, playing and watching.

The moment passed, though, as she reached out and touched the blue sphere, and nothing but the warm wash of refreshment washed over her. No visions. No feeling of closeness to the otherworld. The voices. Nothing but healing.

"Hey, Lady, you ready?"

Rayne closed her eyes and nodded, twitching when three other hands settled on hers and the sphere beneath them warmed up, vertigo touching her stomach as the sphere teleported them to the other sphere in the ship above them.

"Woohoo!!" Rikku cheered, seizing Rayne's hand again and yanking her onto the bridge, "Hey, everyone, we have a new Gullwing!!"

"Really?"

"Ya don't say…"

"Ooooh… nice."

Rayne balked at the three eager faces that ran up to her, one of whom she recognized as Brother, son of Cid and airship pilot. The other two, though…

"Lady," Rikku began perkily, "This is Brother," He struck a pose, "Shinra," The small boy in the deep-sea divers suit nodded, "And Buddy." The tall tan man in the blue pants shook her hand.

"Pleasure." He smiled.

Rayne nodded back.

"Guys, this is Lady." Rikku concluded, "A Black Mage who came on the recommendation of Wakka and Lulu. She knows Spira reaaaaaaaal good, and—"

"Hmph, good?" Brother scoffed, crossing his arms, and looking Rayne up and down, "No one knows Spira better than Shinra! Or myself."

Rayne tensed, an action Brother saw.

"You prove otherwise?" Brother raised his brows, pointing to the globe sphere behind him, "Prove."

Narrowing her eyes and casting aside reserve, as well as forgetting that she wanted to speak as little as possible, Rayne marched over to the globe and began pointing out locations, rasping as she did, "Besaid, Kilika, Luca, Mi'ihen Highroad, Mushroom Rock Road, Djose, Moonflow, Guadosalam, Thunder Plains, Macalania, Bevelle, Calm Lands, Mt. Gagazet, Zanarkand, Bikanel."

"Pfft," Brother, who had come to stand beside her, waved her off, "Anyone can name those places!"

Scowling, now, Rayne turned to him, glaring, and now pointing without looking, "Sunken Ruins, Baaj, Omega, Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, Remiem, Mi'ihen Ruins, Battle Site, Besaid Falls, Sanubia."

Now in shock, Brother sputtered and took a few steps back.

Vindicated, Rayne crossed her arms and glared at him, knowing that even though he couldn't see her eyes—

'He sure as hell can feel them.'

Brother stared at her for a moment, then lowered his eyes and turned, heading back to his controls.

"…Well, I'm convinced." Buddy chuckled, crossing his arms and nodding, "Besides, anyone who comes on Wakka and Lulu's recommendation has to be good, right? Welcome to the Gullwings, Lady." He bowed slightly, then returned to his position in the navigators seat.

Rayne glanced at the boy, who was waving to her.

"Let's take a look at your Garment Grid." He studied it closely when she handed it over to him, "Just the Black Mage Dressphere? Well, let's get you upgraded…" She leaned over his shoulder, watching as he slid her garment grid into a slot on his computer and began typing away, a device to his right sliding open and revealing several spheres. "Here we go… Gunner, Thief, Warrior, Songstress, and White Mage. There, you're all up to date." He turned to her, handing the grid back, "It works the same way the old grids did, just without the cost; press on the sphere in use and drag your finger across to the adjacent sphere that you want to access."

Rayne nodded, taking the grid and slipping it into its pouch. She had no plans to try switching spheres out in the open, least the changes to her clothes jeopardize her hidden identity, but she was grateful.

"Congrats, Lady!" Rikku cheered, lunging and latching onto Rayne's arm, "You're an official Gullwing!"

Smile unseen, Rayne nodded down at Rikku and patted her head.

It was true; Rayne was a Gullwing.

And, once again, she was close to Yuna, even if the girl didn't know it. Yuna had yet another one of her old Guardians back.


End file.
